Book Review: Readings

Arafat's Elephant: Stories

Counterpoint, 208 pp., $14 (paper) In the wake of a broiling Israeli-Palestinian conflict that appears to have no end, this slim volume of 17 short stories comes along to help put a personal face on the people now caught up in this maelstrom of tragedy. Not surprisingly, the most chilling tale of the collection, "The Red Button," is a story-within-a-story about a suicide bomber about to carry out his mission. Despite this notable exception, politics and war are not the direct focus of these stories, but in light of current events, the hostilities have necessarily become a distinct if unintended subtext. Instead, Tel's most successful tales concern everyday people living rather unremarkable lives. He uses humor and absurdity well, especially at the expense of historical figures like Moshe Dayan and Theodor Hertzl. One of Tel's characters says that "in this country, whoever tells the best story wins"; it's a remark that Tel takes quite seriously. Indeed, he demonstrates a penchant throughout this collection for one character telling a story to another, adeptly interweaving realities, present and past. "Arafat's Elephant" is one such tale in which a century-old family history takes on a metaphorical quality. Tel doesn't give us the answers to achieving a lasting peace in the Middle East but his thought-provoking and often delightful stories certainly shed an intriguing light on the complexities of the region.